


The Monsters who Hunt Us

by I_See_The_Stars_15



Series: The Tales of Terror [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Body Horror, Cults, Gen, Kinda, Parasites, face stealer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26833936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_See_The_Stars_15/pseuds/I_See_The_Stars_15
Summary: Maybe there was more to the mycelium than they previously thought. Tango needs to tell Scar the moment he can.It's just a question ofifhe can.
Series: The Tales of Terror [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993450
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	The Monsters who Hunt Us

**Author's Note:**

> The Bdubs cult already traumatized Tango _so let's traumatize him even more_ shall we?
> 
> tw: body horror, minor mentions of blood, cults, will add more if needed

He ran through the dungeon, footsteps echoing in the empty halls. All the redstone was turned off, no clank was being generated, and the only heartbeat he can hear is his own fast-paced one. The beasts were still roaming around, ready to eat his face at any moment, but he didn’t stop running. If anything, he’d prefer seeing those beasts to encountering the other _monsters_ he’s running from.

He should have known there was something wrong with his friends. Scar warned him about it, told him to stay away from whatever Grian’s been planning. He followed first out of joking compliance, but he couldn’t deny even then that something about the purple that was once again spreading on the island scared him.

He found it odd, at first. This island was covered in mycelium from the very beginning, but he never had any ill-feelings towards it. Sure, he preferred the emerald green grass of the surrounding biomes, but he never had a reason to outright fear the fungus. It was only after the island was transformed, after the majority of the purple landscape was replaced with emerald green, that it started feeling off.

Suddenly, just seeing the block made him feel nauseous, an urge to get as far away from it as possible filling him from head to toe. He avoided the areas he knew was covered in it and made sure to remember where each new patch was. He was just being cautious, he told himself then. Cautious about what, he didn’t know. He’d say he was overreacting but for some reason, he knew he wasn’t.

He’d always been very perceptive of these kinds of stuff after all. He had a connection to the world many others didn’t. It was almost like he could hear the environment, listen to the secrets it told to every passerby. The mycelium was quiet at the start of the season, but now that it was attempting to come back it was shouting louder than any other block. He couldn’t decipher what was being said, only that it felt _wrong_.

It was why he spent so much time underground, why he dedicated so much time to Decked Out instead of enjoying their world like everyone else. Down here the voices were muted, as though the blackstone and nether brick muffled whatever it is they wanted to say. It was enough for him to focus on the project, to feel at peace even if he had lots to do and was dealing with a lot of dangerous beasts.

It was enough back then, but now, as he ran through the dungeon for what seemed to be his life, he could tell that was no longer the case. Every twist and turn had him hearing more of the block, following him as he transferred from area to area. He designed this place, knew it like the back of his hand and so he knew where to go, which passageways would take him to which room. He just wanted peace, he just wanted quiet, but they wouldn’t let him go.

He tried to warn Impulse about joining the Resistance. He saw the way his friend looked at the mycelium, as though it was suddenly something interesting. He told Impulse to stay away from it just as Scar had told him, disguising his fears as him not wanting to have to fight against his friend again. It didn’t seem to work. Impulse was just too stubborn to listen, and so he relied on the hope that maybe he was wrong about the mycelium, that maybe the Resistance was just another fun thing like his friends claimed it was.

Except, he wasn’t wrong, and he, like everyone else, learned that too late.

He was just flying around the shopping district in search of Bdubs when he stumbled upon them. The builder had messaged him asking if he had any gravel to spare, and so he looked for him to give him the resource. He had plenty of it to spare after all, and he didn’t have any use for it at the moment. He found him in the middle of an odd situation. Bdubs was building a road in front of his latest shop, but he wasn’t alone. The members of the Resistance were there on top of different blocks, watching him as he worked. Bdubs seemed to be narrating what he was doing, unfazed by the attention, but none of them were talking. They were just silently observing him.

When Tango dropped off the gravel Bdubs had asked for, all eyes turned to him. Suddenly, even if there was no mycelium around, he could hear it once more, screaming at him. The gazes of his friends were inquisitive in an almost unnerving way, as though they were looking for something from him. Impulse especially had stared at him for a long time, something undecipherable in his eyes. 

When the voice became unbearable, when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a wave of terror washed over him, he left with a hasty excuse. Bdubs merely thanked him for the gravel, but the others watched him even as he flew away. He was almost back at his base when something urged him to return, forced him to go back and watch. Despite the nauseous feeling creeping up on him, he did just that, placing himself on top of Iskall’s Omega Store.

It was the same scene he walked on earlier. Bdubs was talking about the road, almost as if giving a tutorial, and the others were silent as they observed each step. Tango noticed however that they seemed to be circling in on him, getting closer and closer each time Bdubs turned away from them. They boxed him in, Grian in front of him, xB and Ren to his left, Etho behind him and Impulse on the right. Bdubs didn’t notice it until he finished one portion of his road, jumping back when Grian was almost face-to-face with him.

Tango couldn’t hear much of their conversation, so he didn’t understand why Bdubs was backing up with his hands raised, or why everyone crowded around him. He only understood sheer terror when he heard Bdubs screaming for help. Eyes wide, he dove down to the area, wanting to know what just happened.

“What’s going on?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. No one replied to him, even as Bdubs continued shouting, even as no one else came. He approached Impulse, tapping him on the shoulder once, twice, before roughly tugging on it.

“Impulse, what-” the rest of his words died down on his tongue as his friend finally turned to him.

It was a terrifying sight. An amalgamation of Bdubs’ face and Impulse’s greeted him, greyish-purple eyes staring blankly at him. Bdubs himself was on the ground, face looking almost melted as strands of purple wrapped around him. He saw Tango and made a move to speak, but Grian stopped him by stuffing what seemed to be a mushroom into his open mouth.

To Tango’s growing horror the fungus exploded, its spores raining down on his face. Bdubs thrashed as the particles fell on him, holes being left behind as a sizzling sound reached his ear.

“What are you doing?” he gasped out, backing away. Impulse and Etho, attention now on him, moved forward.

“We’re making him better, Tango,” Etho said, voice as monotonous as ever. His face too seemed to be blending with Bdubs’, slowly shifting with each word. “We’re going to make this whole island better.”

“We’re starting with him,” Impulse added, sounding just as emotionless. “Then we’re starting with you.”

Tango watched, frozen in fear, as their faces were finally done transforming. Two identical faces looked at him, just as Bdubs stopped screaming. His face was now completely gone, a gory mess of red and purple covering his head. It almost looked like he was skinned and then dumped into mycelium, which might as well be what actually happened. His body almost seemed tethered to the ground, wrapped in purple tendrils that burrowed into his body. They gave off the same particle effects as mycelium, and that was when Tango knew his fears were right. 

Grian, xB, and Ren looked up at him now, too. The five crowded in on him just as they crowded in on Bdubs, foreign lips stretched into wide grins. Tango did the only thing that made sense to him back then and flew. He popped a few rockets, jumping up to gain momentum. Once in the sky, he circled the shopping district, mind frantically trying to come up with a plan.

He could use his communicator and ask for backup, but that would mean either slowing down, stopping, or falling from the sky. None of those options were appealing to him so he shot that idea down. He could lead them to the town hall and ask Scar for help, but what could their mayor do? He was just as afraid, just as unsure as Tango. It was likely he too didn’t know how to deal with this menace.

So Tango went to the one place he thought was safe. He flew down the ravager head he built and bolted for the dungeon doors, using his pickaxe to break through the blocks. He had the home advantage there. He could lead them on a chase long enough to formulate a better plan, or better yet, he might be able to lose them here and escape to find help. 

He was panting heavily by now as he entered the forest area, chest tight with anxiety. He had to lose them, he had to find Xisuma, he’s sure he would know-

“Tango,” multiple voices called out, sounding everywhere at once. The echo was enough to shock him, and he stood where he was for a few seconds, trying to find out where it came from.

Too late did he realize that was what they were hoping for. He felt something crash into him and he fell onto the grass. He quickly turned around on his back to see Etho standing above him, his wide smile looking cruel in the dim light.

“Found you.”

The others were not far behind him, and Tango scrambled as he tried to get away. He was once again pushed down by Etho, his boot on his chest to prevent him from leaving. Surrounded by the face of his friend on all sides, he noticed them dig out the blocks around him and replace it with mycelium. He felt something cold dig into his back and he started writhing around in pain as he felt something tear through his clothes and skin. He watched with tears of pain in his eyes as thin tendrils started poking through his chest, snaking around him and keeping him down. He screamed when the vines squeezed around him, and Grian did the same thing he did to Bdubs, shoving a mushroom into his mouth, waiting for it to explode.

Now he understood why Bdubs sounded so pained. The moment the spores landed on his face he felt like he was on fire. It was almost as if acid rained down on his face as the ate away at his skin, tearing him apart. He wanted nothing more than to reach up with his hands and scratch them off, but with the way he was tied up he couldn’t do it. Something warm, probably blood, started running down his face, and it only made everything worse for him. He couldn’t see now, red tinting his vision, and so his mind could only focus on the pain, on the way his screams echo through the room. 

Belatedly, as his voice started growing hoarse from his cries, he realized he could hear something else. Finally, he could understand what the mycelium kept crying out to him, what they shouted at him and everyone else even if only he was able to hear them.

_One of us._

**Author's Note:**

> How was that for my first foray into horror? I've been wanting to write about the Bdubs cult for so long now, I'm happy I had the time to! As always, thank you so much for reading! I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving my previous works!


End file.
